Shoe heel



Feb. 5, 1924. 11,482,457

T. W., BIGONEY SHOEHEEL Filed Oct. 31 1922 )Hllllll :lllllllll INVENTOH fflf'omas W Bzgmey BY Patented Feta. 5, light.

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Application filed @ctoher $31, was. serial Ito. 593,090.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that ii, Trroms W. Bloomer, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Penns lvania, have invented certain new and use ul Improvements in Shoe Heels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an im rovement in heels w for use in connection with shoes or other foot wear, and of that type commonly known asrubber heels. Heels of this general ,w are commonly made of some rubber-lion resilient composition,- and are [5 sold to shoe repair shops or cobble-rs in a limited number of standard sizes and shapes. ihese 'fit only a small number of the shoes on the market and therefore the cobbler usually finds it necessary to resort to trimming of the rubber heel to secure the proper fit. This not only takes time, but requires skill, and carelessness in such trimming often ruins the appearance of an otherwise good piece of work. The object of my invention is to so construct a rubber heel or heel lift that its shape and size may be altered to cause it to conform to the shape and size of the shoe heel ortion or base to which it is to be attached.

y making the range of adjustment at least equal to the difierence between the standard sizes, all trimming, particularly at the sides and back, may be avoided.

Although my invention may be utilized in heels having avertically extending peripheral ed e, 1t" is particularly adapted for use in heefi having 'other forms of edge where trimming is more difiicult or tends to destroy or reduce the eficiency of some special feature. My invention 1s particularly adapted for use with the type of edge construction disclosed in my prior application Serial No. 575,573, filed July 17th, 1922.

as for the desired adjustment as to width of the lift by "providing a web portion within a groove, and so formed and sitioned that it permits a narrowing or wldening of the groove and a corresponding variation in an no outside dimension of the lift. Preferably there is a pair of opposed grooves, one in the upper surface and the other in the lower surface of the lift, the two grooves being separated by a web portion which may be extended or compressed in the varying of the width of the grooves.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one embodiment of my invention. in these drawings 1F ig. 1 is a top plan view of a lift embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view.

Fig. 3 is an edgeview.

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections on the lines A-A and B-B respeotivel of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is sectional detail s owing the action of one of the grooves during use, and

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail showing the web compressed.

The body portion of my improved heel lift may be formed of any composition commonly employed in this art, and the lift may be made of any of the usual sizes and of the desired or any ordinary proportions adaptinglit for attachment to the body portion of a s oe heel. The upper surface is provided with a groove 10 which may be of substantially U-sh-ape, that is, it may be substantially parallel to and spaced from the side and rear edges of the heel and terminate at the front edge.

The under surface is provided with a similar groove 11 disposed directly beneath the groove 10 and preferably slightly narrower. Within the body of the heel, the two grooves are separated by a transverse web 12 which is integral with the portions of the lift on opposite sides of the rooves. This web is preferably of substantially inverted V-shape in cross section, as is shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5.

'llhe upwardly projecting intermediate portion of the web extends into the wider groove 10. As the main portions of the two grooves are substantially parallel to the side edges of the body of the heel, it is apparent that such side edges may be drawn apart In carrymg out my inventlon I provide to a slight extent whichwould result in the lowering and flattening of the web, or they may be pressed together resulting in a closing up of the lower groove 11 and the flattening of the web into the upper groove 10. %his position of the parts is indicated in The grooves extend all of the way to the front edge of the lift so that the liftmay be widened, narrowed or otherwise altered in transverse dimension. In order to prevent dust, water and other foreign material entering the forward ends of. the upper groove 10, there are provided supplemental these webs in this manner they not interfere with the com ression or extension. of

the lift, but form c osures for the exposed ends of the grooves. These webs or partitions 13 may be at the extreme forward ends of the grooves, although preferably they are'spaced inwardly to a short distance from said front ends so that if theheel be too long and it is necessary to trim off the front 3. A rubber heel lift havin edge which is concealed beneath the shoe when in use, such trimming will not cut away thewebs 13 or open up the ends of the groove 10.

The upper surface of the lift may be 'made to conform exactly to the contour of the heel to which the lift is to be applied,

while the under surface is made somewhat the lift.

larger by reason of a rearward extension or flange 14, the under surface of which is in. the same plane with the under surface of The rear surface of thisextension is preferably curved and merges into the rear surface of the body portionof' the heel. This extension has various advantages, as pointed out in my prior application above referred to, ut among others it is free to bend slightly as indicated in Fig. 4, when the rear under edge of the heel first strikes the ground in walking. This bending portion has a preliminary cushioning effect and yields by bending rather than by lateral distortion. I

By means of my improved system of grooves in the body of the lift, the latter ma be caused to 'properl conform to the heel body on the shoe wit out trimming or modifying this rear extension, whichlatter is of maximum width at the center of the rear and merges into or disa )ears along midway of the side edges. I urthermore, portions of the two grooves come substantially parallel to the rear edge of the heel lift, and therefore the bending of the extension 14 is facilitated by a partial opening up of the adjacent portion of the under groove 11 as indicated articularly in Fig. 4.

The lift maybe provi ed with suitable nail holes, whereby when the heel has been compressed or distended to.the proper shape and size it may be secured in place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rubber heel lift having a pair of opposed grooves in the upper and lower surfaces comparatively narrow in respect to their depth, and separated by a comparatively thin web of material adapted to be distorted to permit a. widening or narrowe lower surface of the ift. B forming,

lift.

ing of the grooves, and a corresponding ygriation in the transverse dimension of the i t. "p

2. A rubber heellift having a groove in the one surface thereof substantially parallel to the side andrear edges and spaced therefrom, and terminatin in the front edge upon opposite sides 0 the center .line said groove eing comparatively narrow in respect to its depth, and the material upon opposite sides of the groove being connected by a comparatively thinwebwhlch may be distorted to-vary the width of the groove and the effective width of the heel.

a pair. of grooves, one in the up er sur ace and the other in the lower surface and disposed in substantially superposed relationship but separated by a web of material, said grooves extending in substantially U-form and parallel to the side and rear edges of the lift. 4. A rubber heel lift having a pair of grooves, one in the upper surface and the other in the lower surface and dis osed in substantially superposed relations ip but separated by a web of'ma'terial, said web having inclined portions permitting a vari- I other in the lowersurface and dis osed in substantially superposed relations lip but separated b a web of material, said web being of su stantially V-form in cross section, whereby itmay be flattened or compressed upon variation in the width of the 6. A rubber heel lift having a substantially U-shaped groove in the upper surface thereof following but spaced from the side and rear edges of the lift, and closure means at the forward ends of said groove.

7. A rubberheel lift having a substantially U-shaped groove in the 11 per surface thereof followln but spaced fi om the side and rear edges 0% the lift, and closure means at the forward ends of said groove and in the form of vertically disposed transverse webs-permitting a variation in the width of the groove.

8. A rubber heel lift having a U-shaped groove in the under surface thereof substantially following 'but spaced from the side and rear edges and permitting a variation in the width of the lift, said lift having the lower portion extending rearwardly to a ggeater distance than the upper portion, the

nding of said rearwardly extending portion being facilitated by the portionof said groove which is substantiallyparallel to the 

